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Thread: present simple vs progressive as applied to the present period

  1. #1
    kvvic is offline Junior Member
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    Default present simple vs progressive as applied to the present period

    Dear all,

    Could you please help me better understand the difference between the two subject tenses as applied to the present period. Let's take as an example the following two sentences:
    1. Now I am organizing a new meeting.
    2. Now I organize a new meeting.
    As far as I understand, if I'm talking about some temporary uncompleted activity (the organization of the meeting has started, it is in progress, and it will be finished in several weeks), I can use only the present progressive, and the present simple will not work in this case.
    But it is possible to use the present simple to mean some activity that is underway now and will go on in the future for an unknown period of time, e.g.:
    Now I organize meetings.
    Is my understanding right?

  2. #2
    Tdol is offline Editor, UsingEnglish.com
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    Default Re: present simple vs progressive as applied to the present period

    Now I organize meetings.
    Yes- it's a general state of affairs. We're not really thinking about the future when we use it, but it is logical that it will go into the future.

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    kvvic is offline Junior Member
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    Default Re: present simple vs progressive as applied to the present period

    Just to be sure that I get it right:
    Now I am organizing a new meeting.
    Now I organize meetings.
    are correct, and
    Now I organize a new meeting.
    is wrong.
    Right?

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    Tdol is offline Editor, UsingEnglish.com
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    Default Re: present simple vs progressive as applied to the present period

    The first two are correct and the third sounds unnatural.
    kvvic likes this.

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    kvvic is offline Junior Member
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    Default Re: present simple vs progressive as applied to the present period

    Thanks for your help)

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